TV producer Alan Yang to speak at USC

Last year at Emmy’s, writer, producer, director and actor Alan Yang gave a revealing speech about the importance of media diversity as he took the stage to receive his award.

“Asian parents out there, if you could just do me a favor and a few of you have cameras for your kids instead of violins, we would all be fine,” Yang said in her Emmy speech, causing a good-humored laughter from his audience. .

Yang is the headliner of the annual Asian Pacific American Student Assembly speakers event at the Bovard Auditorium, which takes place on Friday evening.

APASA is one of nine Assemblies of the Undergraduate Student Government Program Council. The organization programs and advocates for Asia-Pacific American students on campus, providing funding and marketing to various student organizations.

Last year, APASA invited actress Constance Wu from the popular TV series Fresh Off the Boat to host the speakers event. Wu inspired students with her compelling story about entering Hollywood as an Asian American actress, an industry where Asian Americans have limited screen time. This year, Alan Yang will continue to inspire students and show that the Asian American community will not be bound by Hollywood stereotypes.

“We hope that APA students can learn from a model in the entertainment industry – one in which there is traditionally less representation of the APA,” said Michelle Su, events coordinator for APASA. . “Since the event is also aimed at a wider audience, we hope that the general USC community can benefit from the discussion with Alan and that the topics covered can help create a greater sense of community. “

Yang grew up in San Bernardino, California to Taiwanese immigrant parents and went on to study biology at Harvard University, although Yang always had a passion for writing comedies and turned away from biology to become scriptwriter. He first wrote for Last Call with Carson Daly in 2009. From there he became a producer and consultant for Comedy Central’s South Park, then eventually landed a stable role as a writer for Parks and Recreation of NBC.

However, Yang is perhaps best known for co-creating the Emmy-winning Netflix original series Master of None with comedian Aziz Ansari. Master of None follows Native American actor Dev, played by Aziz Ansari, as he grapples with love, stereotypes, friendship and family issues as a millennial living in New York City. The show is witty and thoughtful, capturing Ansari’s humor while working to shatter the stereotypes that many Asian Americans face on a daily basis.

Master of None was nominated for four Emmy Awards, with Yang and Ansari winning the Outstanding Writing Award for a Comedy Series in 2016 for the episode “Parents”. The episode takes a close look at the immigration journey of Dev and Brian’s parents and the sacrifices they made in coming to America for a better life.

Yang is scheduled to speak Friday at 6.30 p.m. in the Bovard Auditorium. Students can also earn a chance to attend a meetup by entering a Facebook contest on the USC APASA page.